British-owned ranch fighting against land appropriation in Venezuela

CARACAS (AP)--A U.K.-owned ranch has appealed a decision by the Venezuelan government to claim its property as part of a land reform program, a company official said May 11.

Agropecuaria Flora, the local affiliate of the U.K.'s Vestey Group Ltd., asked a local court to void the action, claiming property documents dating back to 1840 show the ranch rightfully belongs to them, company president Diana Dos Santos said at a press conference.

The National Lands Institute claimed the 12,950-hectare cattle ranch in March, and the Cojedes state governor's office has given permits to poor farmers to work the lands. Some 90 percent of the ranch has been occupied by squatters, Dos Santos said.

"Agropecuaria Flora is the rightful owner of El Charcote ranch," Dos Santos said. "All the (property) documents have been certified by the public registry offices--we believe that the land agency has been badly advised."

The land institute said that the owners of El Charcote and three other ranches claimed in early March did not have legitimate documents to prove rightful ownership and gave them two months to appeal.

Dos Santos said that the Vestey Group trusts that the situation can be resolved by Venezuela's legal system, but if not, it could appeal to international courts.

The presence of squatters on the ranch has grown since 2000, as President Hugo Chavez pushed a land reform to give state and private lands to poor farmers, Dos Santos said.

Currently, the farm produces 83 kilograms of meat per square hectare, when it produced 133 kilograms (293 pounds) of meat per square hectare before 2000, she added.

Dos Santos said there are some 8,000 hectares (19,760 acres) of idle lands next to El Charcote, and suggested that the farmers living on the ranch could be moved there.

Agropecuaria Flora produces 4 percent of Venezuela's meat, and owns 14 ranches in central and southern Venezuela, she said.

According to a 2001 law, the government can seize private lands if they are declared idle or if legitimate property documents dating back to 1847 are not shown.

Critics say the land reform threatens private property and encourages squatters to occupy private lands.

But Chavez, who has declared "war on large estates" says that most farming lands were acquired illegally before he became president in 1999.

Date: 5/26/05

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